Kittens and Spiders - OH MY!

The common garden spider (Argiope aurantia) is a leggy beauty! This lady (the boys are much smaller) made her web on my Isaac House hybrid scabiosa - aka pincushion flower. These are my favorite of the pincushion types. I think this spidey agrees.

The thicker, zig-zaggy filament in her web is called the stabilimentum. Exactly the purpose of it is unknown. The name comes from the belief, now widely discounted, that they provided stability to the web. Seems a likely inspiration for the words written in the webs of E. B. White's book, Charlotte's Web.

This less showy brown spider was sunning on my clothesline. His first spot was on the backside of a peg. I came close to touching him as I hung out my sheets. Luckily I spotted him just in time - scared the bejeezus out of me! I'm not sure who this guy is yet....

The other surprises outside today were much cuddlier forms of natural pest control! A group of feral cats - momma and 5 kitties - have set up house in the woodpile. Lefty, my almost toothless Yorkie, discovered them. He was yapping away, which luckily is very UNcharacteristic of him. When I went to see what the ruckus was, I spied these cuties hiding deep in the pile. We had seen these cats in the abandoned yard next door, but they had disappeared. We thought they'd gone off to the nearby woods where a fair amount of wild cats live. But here they are! They won't let us get too close right now. We're hoping some mackerel and time will change that. We set up some old bed frames with springs as a make-shift fence to keep the dogs away.

The family has been enjoying their protected area, having play fights and sunning out in the open this afternoon. It would be nice if they stuck around. We've got an exploding population of voles and chipmunks that have been eating my bulbs and, worse - tunneling under the foundation of the house. Some kitties patrolling the area might be just the solution we need.

We've done some trap and release type stuff to try to at least lower the pest population, but its time consuming and hasn't made a difference. Plus its not really any kinder than just offing the voles and chipmunks, as distasteful as that is - moving them away from their food stores and familiar areas is just setting the rodents up to die.

The little cuties are all orange and white variations just like their Ma. I'm thinking Marmalade and Dreamsicle, maybe Carrot Top for a few names to start with....

Ambush Bug Phymatidae PHYMATA Nymph

While gathering basil from the garden for a hot sauce I was making today, I found this little guy. He was hiding on a flowering stem. I don't see any wings so think this is a nymph. The rounded projections just above the abdomen (section called the mesothorax) on either side look like they might be what develops into the wings or may even be tiny little wing-lets. The prothorax seems a bit spiked to me suggesting he may be a Phymata erosa or jagged ambush bug, but I really don't know for sure.

He (or should I say 'she'?) was quite willing to pose for my camera. These bugs stay very still awaiting their prey. Because of this hunting strategy I was able to get very close, getting some nice details of its little face. The yellow eyes are very striking. The front legs are thickened (like Popeye's arms!) and held in a similar manner to a praying mantis. I think this is referred to as raptorial. You can see the segments in the antennae really well in the shot above.

The shape of the head is kind of reptilian. He's an odd mix of familiar features - like a mad scientist stuck crab legs on a fat lizard. Look at all the little bumps scattered across the body. The yellow and green coloration is beautiful - as well as practical, providing excellent camouflage. Entomologists refer to this as cryptic coloration

I'm sad to learn these guys eat bees. We're in the process of learning to become beekeepers - which is very exciting! Hopefully when he grows up he won't off too many of my colony.

For any interested - the hot sauce I made of roasted jalapenos and a mix of three different basils is beyond delicious! And best of all, like Paris would say: It's HOT!

Here are good shots of the back, displaying the color pattern and shape. The sections of the thorax and the abdomen are easy to see here and below.